Swimming Lesson
by SabreDae
Summary: A short, fluffy oneshot scene with Percy teaching his son to swim.


**A/N: So I just finished reading The Mark of Athena last night, at like half one in the morning after starting reading it at half four/five in the evening. :P Seriously, it took me under eight hours to read it – there was a gap in my reading since I went out to watch the 1934 version of Cleopatra with some friends. And as I was waiting for sleep to claim me, I had this little scene come to me. It's been a while since I wrote anything for this fandom, so I hope everyone seems in character. It's just some family fluff really, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Let me know what you think!**

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"Ready?" Percy asked, looking up at his five year old son as he slid armbands up past the little boy's elbows.

The boy nodded eagerly and ran past his father towards the newly built swimming pool in their garden, setting an unspoken challenge for a race. Percy jogged after him, content to let his son beat him. From her seat at the side of the pool, Annabeth watched and smiled. Never in her dreams, had she pictured her life with Percy this way. As a demigod brought up at Camp Half-Blood, she had lived in the present, though often her thoughts had lingered on the past, never taking too much time to think about her far off future. She hadn't known whether she would even survive long enough to settle down and have a family.

Percy got into the pool first before reaching for his son, taking his hand and helping him into the lukewarm water. Using his powers to control the water, he kept his son aloft and safe from drowning.

"Now remember what I told you?"

"Kick like a flapping bird," the small boy recited.

"And?" Percy asked.

"Arch your arms like a rainbow in the sky."

"That's right," Percy replied. He was extremely proud of his son for remembering the small details of his swimming instructions from a week previously. "Are you ready to try?"

"You promise you won't let go of me?" his son asked in a vulnerable voice, showing his fear for the first time.

"I promise. I'll be with you every stroke of the way."

"Ready?"

His son nodded bravely, still looking afraid and turned away, beginning to kick his legs and thrash his arms about. Percy held onto his son, with a hand on his back and a hand on his stomach, gliding along beside him. As they completed a width, Percy couldn't help grabbing his son and lifting him into the air.

"You did it!" Percy crowed.

"Mom, did you see?" the little boy asked, looking ecstatically at his mother.

Annabeth had already set aside her book and had eagerly watched as Luke had swum for the first time.

"I did, honey! You were great!"

Luke had inherited her blonde hair, though it was as untameable as Percy's, and he had Percy's sea-green eyes. The crop of sandy hair sprouting from his scalp reminded her every day of her friend Luke, the friend and hero she and Percy had named their son after.

"Again?" Percy asked.

Luke nodded and took off without any hesitation, already his strokes becoming smoother and his kicks more powerful as he got over his fear and got used to the action of swimming front-crawl.

After a few more widths, Percy was declaring, "You're getting so good, you'll have to show Uncle Frank this afternoon. He might even race you, though I can't guarantee he won't cheat and turn into a dolphin or something."

Annabeth chuckled. It would be just like Frank to cheat in a race against Percy, but with Luke, he would be a good sport and compete fair and square, probably going slower just to give the small boy a fair chance. Besides, if he even tried anything, Hazel would fix him with a look that could make even Hades cower.

"No, pony," Luke asserted.

"Frank doesn't want to cart you around on his back _all_ the time," Percy said, feeling guilty for spoiling Luke's fun.

"Your father on the other hand would be more than glad to replace Frank," Annabeth said, smirking at her husband as she dropped him in it.

"Come on then, kid," Percy sighed, climbing out of the pool with his son tucked under one of his strong arms. As soon as they were a safe distance from the water, Percy set Luke on his feet and got down on his hands and knees to let Luke sit on his back.

"Giddy up!" Luke shouted joyfully as soon as he was settled.

Pushing aside the temptation to rear upwards, Percy set off crawling. He sent his best glare Annabeth's way, but she was too busy reading her book to notice and Percy knew that he couldn't keep the scowl permanently anyway. He loved her too much. Forming a plan of his own, he began whispering to Luke, having to urge the young boy to keep quiet and stop giggling as they approached his mother.

"Mom, look!"

Annabeth looked up from her book and smiled at Luke, giving Percy a chance to take her book and set it aside. Annabeth wouldn't be very forgiving if he doused her newest book in water from the pool. Before she could react, a jet of water shot from the pool and splashed Annabeth in the face.

Annabeth wiped the water from her eyes, looking displeased, before cracking a smile and saying, "You are so dead, Seaweed Brain."

Percy laughed. He couldn't help it. It wasn't often that Annabeth called him Seaweed Brain, not now they were supposed to be responsible parents. Luke joined in with a high-pitched giggle, pointing at his mother's dripping clothes and face.

"I mean it Percy," Annabeth threatened playfully, getting to her feet and stalking towards him with her hands on her hips.

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**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this fluffy scene. It is a oneshot that I won't be adding to, since I'm really busy with university and other stories at the moment. I'd love to know what you think, so leave a review if you've got time. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading! Much love, SabreDae**

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